


Focus on Me

by alipiee



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Humour, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, Shy Katsuki Yuuri, VictUuri, Victuri, Victuri Gift Exchange, Vikturi, they meet in a photography class bc im projecting my life onto them (again), very light angst, victurigiftexchange, viktuuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-19 07:11:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13118682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alipiee/pseuds/alipiee
Summary: For Victuri Gift Exchange 2017Prompt: "College AU -Yuuri’s roommate Phichit has to suddenly move back to Thailand for the rest of the semester due to a family emergency, and Yuuri has to find a new roommate quickly in order to pay the rent on their apartment. Viktor is the only one who applies, and he’s not at all what Yuuri expects."





	Focus on Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Adrianna99](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adrianna99/gifts).



> Hiii! So this is a part of the Victuri Gift Exchange, which was a super cute idea and I'm excited to read/see what everyone has come up with!
> 
> I kind of ran out of time to write the whole story, so it's going to have a second chapter that is currently being written!
> 
> I am an absolute sucker for teen/roommate aus so this was so much fun to write!!
> 
> Happy holidays Addy, I hope I can do your prompt justice! <3

After his first day of the new semester, Yuuri Katsuki was certain of three things.

One: There was a real-life angel in his photography class.

Two: Said angel was completely out of his league.

Three: He was almost certainly going to die because of it.

“Phichit, you don’t understand.” Yuuri whined, laying on his bed and staring at the bunk above him, his best friend only offering a laugh and feigned sympathy.

“His face _literally_ looks like it’s been sculpted by one of those people who sculpt stuff.”

“A sculptor?” Phichit offered helpfully, Yuuri hearing the smirk in his voice despite not being able to see him, “Wow, he _must_ be hot if your brain can’t even function properly anymore.”

“Hot isn’t even the right word, he’s like, _inhuman._ ” Yuuri sighed, closing his eyes as the boy’s face flashed in his memory, surely too perfect to be real.

“What’s his name?” Phichit asked, his head suddenly appearing from above Yuuri as he opened his eyes, his hair hanging from his face as he leant over the bunk railings, “I’ll search for him.”

“Don’t make it obvious or anything,” Yuuri warned, raising an eyebrow at Phichit as he only rolled his eyes and nodded, “Viktor Nikiforov.”

“Viktor Nikiforov,” Phichit slowly sounded out the name as his fingers expertly typed it into his phone, “Is he Russian or something?”

“I’m not sure, I mean, he didn’t seem very busy, so I don’t see why he would be.” Yuuri shrugged, not sure what the question had anything to do with him.

“What?” Phichit stared at him dumbly for a moment as Yuuri offered him a similar look.

“Yeah, no, he wasn’t in a rush.” Yuuri explained, watching as Phichit’s expression turned to one of understanding, his eyes flashing with amusement as a laugh bubbled from his throat.

“Oh my god, Yuuri. Only you.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, puzzled as Phichit only shook his head and smirked.

“I asked if he was Ru _ssian_ , Yuuri. Not Ru _shing_.”

“Oh.” Yuuri could feel the heat rising to his cheeks, and fought the urge to hide his head in his hands; encouraged by Phichit’s laughing, he joined in and groaned as he ran a hand through his hair, “That never happened. I never said that.”

“You never said that.” Phichit agreed, biting his lip to supress his laughter, but by the typing on his phone, Yuuri was sure he’d already texted half of his contacts.

After a moment had passed, Phichit gasped and made an excited noise, his eyes widening as he grinned at Yuuri, “Oh my god. You’re right, he _is_ cute.”

“I know, and it’s hurting my heart.” Yuuri pouted his lip, furrowing his eyebrows as he turned over onto his side to get more comfortable, resting his head on his arm.

“He must be new,” Phichit mused, sounding thoughtful, “I’ve never seen him on campus before, and I’m sure if you had you would’ve told me.”

“Yeah, he wasn’t in the class last semester.” Yuuri confirmed, listening as Phichit hummed in acknowledgement, apparently too focused on the account before him.

“Have you talked to him?”

“Not yet.” Yuuri sighed wistfully, although ‘yet’ probably wasn’t the best word to use; he doubted he’d work up the courage to strike up a conversation, especially when Viktor seemed to have already comfortably made some friends.

“You’ve got to, Yuuri.” Phichit said, leaving no room for argument in his tone, “Because I’m not even kidding, he is the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.”

“I know right.” Yuuri agreed, chewing on his lip, “I’ll try.”

 

* * *

 

 

Two weeks into his new semester, and it was safe to say that photography was both Yuuri’s favourite and most hated lesson.

Viktor was a presence that always seemed to light up the room, be it with his smiles, jokes or teasing remarks, it was certain that if he was there, everyone around him would be affected by his warm personality. The only problem was, Yuuri was never a part of those moments.

Not wanting to intrude on other people’s conversations, he stayed on the side-lines, laughing along with jokes he heard from the other side of the room, despite them not being directed to him.

He _tried_ to join in when the opportunities arose, taking the threads of conversations he was offered, cracking a joke when he could, trying to make Viktor laugh. But those times were few and far between, Yuuri ending up spending his time focusing on his work, too shy to reach out despite knowing the ridiculousness of it.

“Hey Viktor, Mila is texting you again.”

Yuuri looked up from his desk to see Viktor’s friend holding up his phone in one hand, the other resting on his hip as he wore an amused expression.

From what Yuuri had gathered from his previous semesters with him, Chris seemed nice enough. Soft olive eyes and a warm smile that could be both teasing and heartfelt; blond locks of hair that curled on top of darker brown ones beneath - it wasn’t a hairstyle Yuuri would choose, but somehow the other man pulled it off.

He’d never known Chris to be particularly malicious, and he got the impression that he was a good guy, but the confident aura he managed to adopt so easily couldn’t help but leave Yuuri feeling a little intimidated.

“Oh. Well tell her I love her, but I’m busy.”  Viktor chuckled, shaking his head as he waved a hand dismissively and Yuuri’s eyes widened slightly at the comment.

Questions began to spark in Yuuri’s mind, leaving him more curious by the second. Who was Mila? Why didn’t he want to text her back when he wasn’t really _that_ busy?

Perhaps she was a friend – after all, he and Phichit would tell each other they loved one another on a regular basis, so it wasn’t exactly out of the question.

Yuuri sighed, knowing he was probably kidding himself.

Viktor was unbelievably attractive, it was no surprise he’d already made so many new friends despite his recent joining, and so getting into a relationship was probably no feat. There was no point pining over someone who was already taken, not unless he wanted heartache.

Trying to push his thoughts away, Yuuri focused all of his attention to his work, arranging and rearranging photos onto his page as a distraction; glancing at the clock in the hope that the hands would move a little faster, so he could just get out of the class already.

Unfortunately, despite how much he wanted it to, the clock refused to move any faster. Yuuri sighed, resting his chin on the palm of his hand as he flickered his eyes back to where Viktor and Chris were standing.

Chris had his arm slung over the other man’s shoulder, the two of them looking at the phone as it was placed in Viktor’s hand; laughter bubbled from their throats as they read the text, and Yuuri couldn’t help but feel confused, were they laughing at Mila?

“Can you _believe_ her?” Viktor asked, seemingly exasperated as he rolled his eyes, only encouraging Chris to laugh harder as he shook his head.

“You knew what you were signing up for.” He reminded him, nudging Viktor in the side as his hands were swatted away.

“That’s true.” He agreed, a fond smile on his lips as his fingers tapped the screen to reply and he slipped the device back into the pocket.

“Have you even seen Sara lately?” Chris asked, his eyebrows raised in question, and Yuuri felt his own rise, unable to supress the curiosity he felt about Viktor’s life and the people surrounding it.

“Yeah, I saw her yesterday,” Viktor shrugged, before turning to wave a finger in Chris’ face, his pulled into a small grimace, “but don’t tell Mila that, or she’ll never let me hear the end of it.”

“My lips are sealed.” Chris smirked, making a zipping motion over his mouth and handing Viktor the non-existent key, which he threw behind him with a chuckle.

Yuuri felt something twist in his stomach, his view of Viktor shifting by the second; he never expected him to be the type to lie to his girlfriend (?) and see another girl behind her back (?).

No.

Yuuri was jumping to conclusions, he was sure of it.

Ashamed of listening to their conversation in the first place, he pulled his headphones from his bag and slipped them into his ears, drowning out their voices with the swift press of a button.

Thankfully, he heard the bell chime over the song a while later, and he was quick to pack his work away, throwing his backpack onto his shoulders and retrieving his phone from his jacket pocket, sending Phichit a quick text to let him know he was on his way to the café on campus.

It was only a fifteen-minute walk, but the chill of the icy wind left him shivering and wrapping his jacket tightly around his body, wanting to get there as quickly as possible. The small twinge of hunger had reared its head, and he couldn’t wait to satisfy it with his best friend over cheap food and even cheaper coffee.

However, not properly looking where he was going due to his rush, Yuuri failed to notice that he was not the only one on his way to the café, and when he turned a particularly sharp corner he walked straight into the person who had been walking beside him.

Their bodies collided abruptly, leaving Yuuri reeling as he tried to catch his balance, instead having it being caught by someone else, his arms being steadied by the grip of a pair of hands.

“Oh gosh, I am _so_ sorry.” Yuuri began, lifting a hand up to brush away the loose hairs that had fallen in front of his eyes upon the impact. His heart dropped when he noticed just who had fallen victim to his obliviousness when walking, another apology forming on his lips ready for him to spill.

“It’s fine.” Viktor assured him with a small smile, releasing his grip on Yuuri’s arms in favour of brushing them to remove any dirt – which Yuuri realised too late didn’t make any sense, because he hadn’t even fallen over.

The contact left his arms feeling warm, and wanting it back once Viktor’s hands returned to his coat’s pockets. He pushed the feeling down, dismissing it with a shake of his head, there was no use in him feeling that way.

“Are you sure?” Yuuri asked, his eyebrows drawn in a mixture of guilt and embarrassment, “I should have been more careful.”

“No, no it’s fine, honestly.” Viktor waved off Yuuri’s apology with a flick of his wrist, a small smile gracing his lips, “It was my fault too, I was in a rush to get out of this cold.”

“Me too.” Yuuri returned the smile, his eyes flickering down and noticing the small blush that was dusting Viktor’s nose; it was so unfairly cute, and Yuuri had to bite his lip to stop himself from saying so.

“Well, I guess we better get back to it.” Viktor commented, shuffling on his feet as he buried his hands deeper into his pockets and Yuuri nodded in agreement, the two of them continuing to walk, “So, where are you headed?”

“That little café that’s just down here.” Yuuri said, raising a finger to point ahead of them and Viktor’s eye followed it, his eyes widening slightly, “I’m meeting someone for lunch.”

“That’s where I’m going too,” He smiled, pulling out his phone and wincing slightly as he read whatever message had been waiting for him, a small frown tugging at his lips, “apparently I’m meeting someone too.”

“Not a fan of them?” Yuuri questioned, unable to stop the question before it had jumped from his throat. He felt a wave of regret for a moment, worried Viktor would scoff, tell him it was none of his business and cut the conversation short, but instead he just shook his head.

“No, they’re great.” His lips curved into an honest smile, any trace of reluctance gone from his features and Yuuri only nodded, deciding not to comment on it.

“I’m Viktor, by the way.” He said, offering his hand for Yuuri to shake, and he took it with a smile, trying not to let his amusement at the formality of it show.

“Yuuri.”

“You’re in my photography class, right?” Viktor asked, his eyes questioning and Yuuri nodded in confirmation. Realistically, he knew Viktor would recognise him - after all, their class wasn’t _that_ big, but it still sent a wave of relief over him that he hadn’t gone completely under his radar.

“Yeah.”

Viktor hummed thoughtfully, something crossing over his features as he considered Yuuri, “I guess we’ve never really had the opportunity to talk properly, have we?”

“I guess not.” Yuuri shrugged, playing it cool and acting as though he hadn’t spent the last two weeks thinking of ways to start a conversation with Viktor.

“That’s a shame,” Viktor frowned, and to his credit, he actually looked genuine, “you seem lovely.”

“Oh, thanks, you too.” Yuuri returned the sentiment, trying to fight the blush that would surely appear on his cheeks if he thought too hard about it. However, he found himself feeling slightly cautious around Viktor after the conversation he’d heard between him and Chris earlier.

Before either of them could say anything more, they were standing outside the café and Viktor was holding the door open for Yuuri, the two of them entering as he offered a shy thank you. His eyes instantly began to scan the room for the sight of his best friend, not wanting to sit on his own while he waited for him.

Thankfully, he was already there, claiming a small table in the corner of the room and Yuuri smiled, watching as Phichit sat looking bored, scrolling through something on his phone as he leaned his back against the full-length window.

“My friend is over there,” Yuuri said to Viktor, jerking his thumb over his shoulder as he began to take a few steps backwards, “I’ll see you in class?”

“Yeah, of course.” Viktor nodded, his eyes briefly flickering to Phichit before returning to meet Yuuri’s gaze with a smile, “See you later, Yuuri.”

When he got closer to the table, Phichit finally tore his attention from his phone and looked up to greet Yuuri, his eyes softening upon seeing him, “Hey.”

“Hi.” Yuuri dumped his backpack beside the chair, collapsing into with a sigh as he glanced across the room. To no surprise, Viktor was taking his own seat among a large group, being met with pats to his back and the attention of everyone present.

“Good day?” Phichit asked curiously when Yuuri turned back to him, his own eyes following where Yuuri’s had been only a moment before, a quizzical look painting his face.

“I guess,” he shrugged, taking the napkin from the table and beginning to twist it, looking for something to do with his hands as he spoke. If Phichit noticed, he didn’t say anything, only humming and offering a nod, “how about you?”

“It was fine,” Phichit said, nonchalance clear in his tone, although he seemed distracted; his eyes darting to the other side of the café, seeming to be trying to work out what Yuuri had been looking at, “nothing particularly exciting happened.”

“How exciting can a psych class be?” Yuuri joked, watching as Phichit only rolled his eyes and nudged him under the table.

“I’ll have you know it’s _very_ interesting.” He said defensively, although the playful glimmer in his eyes told Yuuri it held no malice. Suddenly they widened and snapped back to meet Yuuri’s, “Don’t look now, but Viktor is sat over there.”

“I know,” Yuuri said, tearing a corner from the napkin, scrunching it beneath his fingertips. Upon seeing Phichit’s confused expression, he cleared his throat and began to explain, “I bumped into him on the way here – as in, _literally_ bumped into him – and he said he was also heading here to meet someone.”

“Oh my god, did you knock him over? What did he say?” Phichit questioned, now looking more interested as he attempted to get the details from Yuuri – he didn’t mind though, he told Phichit everything.

“No, neither of us actually fell over thankfully,” Yuuri chuckled, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, “but I would have if he hadn’t stopped me-“

“- he stopped you?” Phichit looked far too pleased, a grin making its way onto his lips, “Did he catch you in his arms? Oh my god, Yuuri, _please_ tell me he caught you in his arms.”

“Not quite, he just steadied me.” Yuuri shrugged, finding himself unable to suppress the upturn of his lips, “He was lovely about it, actually. He insisted it was fine, but I still felt kinda bad about it.”

“I’m sure he meant it. Besides, he doesn’t seem like he’s very bothered about it.” Phichit commented, his eyes focused on Viktor and Yuuri turned his attention that way too, humming in acknowledgement. Viktor was laughing along with his friends, an arm slung behind one of their chairs as someone told what must have been an entertaining story.

“Yeah, I guess not.” Yuuri nodded, picking up the badly laminated menu from the table and scanning his eyes over the (lack of) options. He didn’t know why, really, he was only going to end up ordering the same thing as he always did, but for now it served as a distraction.

“What was he like?” Phichit asked, copying Yuuri’s actions and looking over the large font with a bored expression, “Is he boyfriend material?”

The question tugged on something in Yuuri’s chest, his eyebrows falling slightly as his lips followed, pouting a little, “Yeah, but not for me.”

“Why not?” Phichit looked on the verge of offended, staring at Yuuri as though he had just said something unthinkable, “Have you _seen_ him?”

“Yes, of course I have – I was the one who introduced you to him, remember.” Yuuri sighed, keeping his eyes fixed on the prices of the sandwiches to avoid looking at his friend, “But so has someone else, and I’m pretty sure he’s already in a relationship now.”

“Really?” Phichit seemed to deflate a little, his expression turning sympathetic in the corner of Yuuri’s eye, “Who?”

“Mila!” Viktor’s voice travelled across the café as the bell of the door rang, everyone at his table looking up to greet her. When Yuuri also turned, he couldn’t say he blamed Viktor, she was beautiful.

Even from where he was sitting, Yuuri could see the bright blue of her eyes that seemed to sparkle, crinkling as a smile spread across her lips and she headed towards Viktor, wrapping him in a hug and taking the seat beside him. Her red hair shone under the soft lighting surrounding them, perfectly complementing the pink of her lips, and she was absolutely breath-taking.

“Yuuri?” Phichit repeated, trying to get his attention back as Yuuri blinked, offering him a small smile and swallowing the lump in his throat.

“I think that’s her.” Yuuri said, hiding the longing in his voice as he fought the urge to look back at the table, what good would it do anyway?

“Who? Mila?” Phichit questioned hesitantly, and when Yuuri nodded, Phichit seemed to be trying to supress a laugh, his teeth biting his bottom lip.

“What?” Yuuri asked, unsure of what was so funny.

“Yuuri, sweetie,” Phichit began, taking one of Yuuri’s hands in his own across the table, “Mila’s gay.”

“What?” Yuuri’s eyebrows furrowed, not quite believing him, “How do you know?”

“She’s in my psych class.” Phichit chuckled, apparently amused at Yuuri’s new revelation, “She blatantly flirts with Sara the entire time, and then whines to me about how cute she is. I’m pretty sure _I_ could describe Sara to the last detail, just from everything Mila has pointed out.”              

“But…” Everything Yuuri had built up over the last few hours was falling apart, and he felt his chest lighten; the realisation washed over him in a wave of relief and embarrassment, “Oh my god.”

“Why on _Earth_ did you think that Viktor and Mila were dating?” Phichit wasn’t even hiding the fact that he found the situation funny anymore, his eyes alight with mirth as he waited for an explanation.

“She was texting him in class, and he said he loved her-”

“- we do that too, so that doesn’t even count as a point.” Phichit pointed out, and Yuuri sighed, shaking his head.

“I know, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Anyway, he told Chris not to tell Mila he’d talked to Sara yesterday, and I kind of assumed the worst,” Shame twisted in Yuuri’s stomach, Viktor wasn’t who he expected him to be, “but I guess she was just texting him about Sara or something.”

“Yeah,” Phichit nodded, a thoughtful look in his eyes, “come to think of it, she did say that she was asking Viktor for advice on it; something about ‘needing the mind of a fellow gay’ to help her. So hey, at least you know for sure that there’s a chance you two _could_ work.”

“In that case, so could me and Sam Smith, but let’s be realistic about this.” Yuuri sighed, the sound of Viktor and his friends’ laughter scattered the small café, and Yuuri shrunk into his chair. If there was even a chance of him and Viktor ever working out, he’d need to befriend them, and that was not something which was going to happen anytime soon.

“I am being realistic,” Phichit scoffed, rolling his eyes, “Viktor is in your class, he knows who you are – wait, he does know who you are doesn’t he?”

“Yeah.” Yuuri confirmed, chewing on his lip, “He recognised me outside when I almost ran him over.”

“That’s a good start.” Phichit said, “Did he say anything?”

“Kind of, he said it was a shame we hadn’t had the chance to talk properly.” Yuuri shrugged, picking at his nails to not encourage Phichit to make a big deal out of it.

“Is that all?” He raised an eyebrow, apparently unconvinced by Yuuri’s nonchalance.

“He said I seemed lovely, but that was it.” Yuuri was quick to cut Phichit off before he got excited, “But I’m pretty sure he was just trying to be nice.”

“At least that means he’d be up for talking to you,” Phichit pointed out, seeing the hope where Yuuri couldn’t, “there’s nothing to be scared of Yuuri, just strike up a conversation sometime. He’s friends with Chris, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Chris is a great guy, super friendly, so maybe if you tried to talk to him first or whatever?” Phichit suggested, but the unsure look on Yuuri’s face had him dismissing the thought, “Okay, maybe not. But the point is, both of them are lovely and you need to just talk to them.”

It wasn’t that easy, at least not for Yuuri, but he nodded anyway, shooting Phichit a smile and assuring him he would. At that moment, his stomach rumbled and he grabbed his wallet, rising to his feet as Phichit followed him to the counter to order, the topic dropped for now.

 

* * *

 

When they got back to their room later that evening and were half way through a rewatch of one of their many favourite films, Phichit’s phone rang out with an incoming call. When he read the name on the screen, his eyebrows narrowed as he turned to Yuuri.

“Do you mind if I take this?” He asked hesitantly, and Yuuri smiled with a nod, already pausing the movie on the laptop laid between them.

“Not at all, there’s no rush.” He assured him, pulling out his phone to kill some time as Phichit returned the smile and rose from the bed, heading into the bathroom to take the call.

From the rapid string of Thai that Yuuri could hear, he assumed that Phichit was talking to a family member or perhaps a friend from home. Whoever it was, it wasn’t really any of Yuuri’s business, and so when Phichit returned a few minutes later, his lips downturned and his eyes forlorn, he was hesitant to ask.

“Everything okay?” Yuuri asked, knowing that Phichit trusted him enough to tell him, and if he didn’t want to, there’d be no need to push.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Phichit sighed, climbing back onto the bed and leaning against Yuuri, the covers pulled over their laps, “at least not yet.”

“Okay,” Yuuri ran a hand through Phichit’s hair soothingly, hoping it would help to ease the worry his best friend seemed to be feeling, “but remember I’m here when, or if you do.”

“Thanks.” Phichit nestled into Yuuri’s shoulder, freeing an arm from the blankets to hit the button on the laptop to resume the film; curiosity was tugging at Yuuri but he didn’t ask. Tomorrow was a new day and if Phichit needed him then, he’d still be there.

 

* * *

 

 

When sat at one of the computers spread out across the edge room, Yuuri heard footsteps approaching, followed by the sound of a chair being pulled out and he saw a figure sitting beside him. It only took one small glance for him to know who it was, the flash of silver hair unmistakeable.

“Hey.” Viktor smiled in greeting, Yuuri turning to face him and mirroring the expression.

“Hi.” He waved a hand awkwardly, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks at the gesture, but when Viktor’s eyes flickered down to it, his smile only deepened as he waved back, eyes crinkling slightly.

“Woah, is that yours?” Viktor questioned a moment later, nodding his head towards Yuuri’s screen, where his latest portrait was displayed. It had been one he’d taken with Phichit a few days back, his own glasses perched on his friend’s nose, his face tilted towards the light as the deep shadows covered half of his face.

Unsure of whether or not it would be one Yuuri used, and with a talent for second guessing himself, he cleared his throat and nodded slightly, “Yeah, but um, I’m not too sure about it just yet. It’s not that good.”

“Are you serious?” Viktor scoffed, his eyes flittering from the photo to Yuuri, his gaze confused, “It looks incredible.”

“Oh, um, thanks.” Caught off guard by the compliment, Yuuri felt the heat rise to his cheeks slightly and fought it back as he offered Viktor a smile, twisting the ends of his jumper sleeves out of habit.

“You’re welcome,” Viktor grinned, eyes now focused on the image as he tilted his head questioningly, “who is it? I haven’t seen them around before.”

Yuuri didn’t comment on the fact that Viktor couldn’t have seen everyone in his short amount of time here, instead he also turned his attention to the photo, a fond smile on his lips, “His name is Phichit - Phichit Chulanont; he’s my roommate and other half.”

“Oh,” Viktor nodded, something flashing in his eyes that was gone before Yuuri could identify it, “well, he’s a beautiful model.”

“I’ll tell him you said so.” Yuuri chuckled, knowing how much his best friend would appreciate the compliment – especially from Viktor of all people.

Suddenly aware of how Yuuri was actually talking to Viktor without anyone else particularly close, his eyebrows furrowed as a question spilled from his lips.

“Wait, where’s Chris?”

“Oh,” Viktor cleared his throat and seemed to be thinking for a moment, and Yuuri waited patiently. Suddenly he seemed to have remembered, given by the rise of his eyebrows and the widening of his eyes, “I’m not entirely sure, but he said he had to ‘help a friend with something’. Didn’t specify what or with who though.”

“Oh, right.” Yuuri nodded, the statement was vague and left room for all sorts of questions – none of which he actually asked – instead, he just smiled and let their conversation flow into new topics.

It surprised him how easy it actually was to talk to Viktor; he’d assumed that he would have been a stuttering mess, analysing every little thing he said and blushing furiously at the attention. But when Viktor led the conversation, offering Yuuri questions to answer and expand on, the pressure lightened and he found himself chatting freely, and although he still chose his words carefully, he was at ease.

The time seemed to fly by as they chatted, and Yuuri couldn’t bring himself to mind the fact that he’d been too distracted to actually get any work done, his gaze fixed on Viktor rather than his computer screen for most of the class. It didn’t really matter, after all, he could always just finish his editing when he got back to his room. There was no way he was missing an opportunity like this to spend time with Viktor.

Despite Yuuri not wanting it to end, the bell rang shortly after, and the two of them began to pack away their things, Yuuri slipping his backpack on as Viktor shrugged his satchel across his body. It seemed that they were both reluctant to leave, the two of them slowly making their way to the door and lingering with shy smiles before Viktor broke the silence.

“I’m going this way,” He said, clearing his throat and pointing a thumb in the opposite direction of Yuuri and Phichit’s dorm, “how about you?”

“The other way.” Yuuri tried not to sigh as he spoke, offering a small smile instead as Viktor nodded and began to turn on his heel.

“Oh, alright.” Viktor began to take a few steps backwards, his eyes still focused on Yuuri as he lifted up a hand to wave goodbye, “I guess I’ll see you later then.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri confirmed, trying to bite back a laugh as he copied Viktor’s gesture, shuffling on his feet shyly, “See you then.”

 

* * *

 

When Yuuri got back to the room, he was met only by silence, broken only by the rhythmic tapping of Phichit’s fingers against his laptop keys; with furrowed eyebrows, Yuuri dumped his backpack at the end of his bed and hesitantly climbed the ladders to the top bunk, unsure of what to expect.

“Hey.” Phichit greeted when their eyes met, a smile on his lips, although it was not his usual cheery one and seemed rather forced. Yuuri considered him for a moment, but nothing seemed too out of the ordinary.

Phichit was leaning against the railings at the head of his bed, a pillow behind his back and his laptop sitting on the covers he was currently nestled under. His phone was sat beside him and lit up with several unopened notifications, but Phichit didn’t offer it more than a quick glance – something was definitely up.

“Are you okay?” Yuuri asked softly, climbing the last few rungs and seating himself on the edge of the mattress, his feet resting on the ladder below; Phichit watched as he did so, nodding in confirmation, but Yuuri didn’t buy it.

“Phichit, you can talk to me.” Yuuri reminded him, hoping that his best friend would open up. Seeing Phichit upset over anything had always made something heavy sit in Yuuri’s stomach, made him want to fix it and promise it would all be okay – and this time was no exception.

Phichit seemed to be considering something, his eyes darting between Yuuri, his laptop, and his phone as he chewed his lip, hesitance clear in the knitting of his eyebrows. After a moment, he sighed and licked his lips, looking at Yuuri.

“Okay,” He said quietly, not breaking their eye contact, “but promise you won’t be mad.”

“Why would I be mad?” Yuuri questioned, although thousands of scenarios started to flicker through his mind, something twisting in his chest at the thought of Phichit doing something bad enough to make Yuuri angry or upset at him.

“Just promise?” Phichit asked, his tone so nervous that Yuuri was nodding before he had time to register it.

“I promise.”

“Okay,” Phichit nodded, twisting the sheets between his hands as he spoke, an anxious habit Yuuri knew all too well, “so you know when I had that phone call last night, but I didn’t want to talk about it?”

Yuuri nodded, unsure of where it was going, but already expecting the worst.

“Well, it was my mum,” Phichit said, a frown forming on his lips as he explained, “she was calling because my grandma had an accident – slipped on some ice and broke her hip – so she’s in the hospital now. My parents have to visit her, and look after my little brothers and sisters, and do their jobs, and take care of their own house, and now hers too, as well as looking after _her_ when she gets discharged.”

The worry in his features as he listed everything on his fingers had Yuuri climbing over the mattress to envelope him in a hug, sympathy blooming in his chest as he held him close.

“Is she going to be okay?” He asked after a moment, praying that the answer would be yes. If there was anything worse than an upset Phichit, Yuuri was sure it would be a grieving one.

“I think so.” He nodded, but the way he opened and closed his mouth, tightening his grip on the sheet told Yuuri there was something else Phichit wasn’t saying. Not wanting to rush him, he remained silent, waiting for his friend to say whatever he needed to.

“I’m sorry.” Phichit whispered, turning into Yuuri and exchanging his grip on the sheet for one on his shirt, bunching up the fabric in his fist. Confusion washed over Yuuri at that, not understanding why he needed an apology.

“What for?” Yuuri asked carefully, gently running his hands through Phichit’s dark locks as he waited for a reply, his movements stopping instantly when he answered.

“I’m going back to Thailand.” 

**Author's Note:**

> The next chapter will actually have them as roommates (and fulfil the prompt oops)
> 
> Sorry for the delay in posting! <3
> 
> come say hi!  
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